A South Florida-based tow company played an integral part in bringing the Carnival Triumph cruise ship back to port, and their chief operations officer says the mission was anything but ordinary.
"No it's not common at all," Capt. Farhat Imam, with Resolve Marine Group, told NBC 6 South Florida Thursday.
The Fort Lauderdale company deployed their Resolve Pioneer tug boat from Mobile, Alabama, earlier this week after an engine room fire disabled the ship. It was the principal tug boat that brought the ship back to shore late Thursday.
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"The Resolve Pioneer is one of the very few emergency response vessels in America, there are not many, we just respond to emergencies," Imam said.
Imam was in constant contact with the Resolve and was monitoring its progress from the company's headquarters, where they have simulators that prepare their boat captains for uneventful journeys and worst-case scenarios.
"So that the officers on board and the management in the office can be better prepared, there are various scenarios that can be simulated for and this is a typical one," Imam said.
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The simulator shows what it's like to guide a ship, with power, into Port Everglades. It's a skill requiring precision and expertise under perfect conditions, far from the situation aboard the Carnival Triumph.
"I am sure there will be a lot of lessons learned and we are going to definitely do a prudent and advisement and take it as a case study go deep into it and see how this can be responded better," Imam said.
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